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Serena Williams Faces Risky Road to Return

Tennis star calls blood clot, hematoma 'extremely hard, disappointing'

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 3, 2011 9:58 AM CST

(Newser) – Serena Williams' tennis career is on hold indefinitely following a series of health scares she calls "extremely hard ... and disappointing." News surfaced yesterday that Williams suffered a pulmonary embolism in February and then, more recently, a hematoma; she is now recuperating at home. But Williams has not played tennis since she won Wimbledon last summer, because shortly after that she stepped on broken glass and cut tendons in her right foot. Now it is not clear when she will be able to return to the game, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Before suffering the hematoma, Williams told the New York Post she expected to be back in time for May's French Open, but now she can only hope to recover in time for Wimbledon in June, the Tribune reports. Doctors will probably not want her to play for at least six to 12 weeks, but even at that point, she'll be at risk of bruises or bleeding if she gets hit hard. Another former top tennis player, Debbie Graham, also suffered a pulmonary embolism in 2005 that put her out of commission for a year.

This May 7, 2010, file photo shows Serena Williams reacting during her semifinal  tennis match against Serbia's Jelena Jankovic at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome.
This May 7, 2010, file photo shows Serena Williams reacting during her semifinal tennis match against Serbia's Jelena Jankovic at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome.   (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
This July 3, 2010, defending champion Serena Williams reacts as she wins a point from Vera Zonareva, during the women's singles final at Wimbledon.
This July 3, 2010, defending champion Serena Williams reacts as she wins a point from Vera Zonareva, during the women's singles final at Wimbledon.   (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
In this July 1, 2010, file photo, Serena Williams hits a return to Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships.
In this July 1, 2010, file photo, Serena Williams hits a return to Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships.   (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)
Serena Williams of the U.S. celebrates after beating Li Na of China to win their Women's singles semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia.
Serena Williams of the U.S. celebrates after beating Li Na of China to win their Women's singles semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia.   (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
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This has been extremely hard, scary, and disappointing. ... While I can't make any promises now on my return, I hope to be back by early summer. That said, my main goal is to make sure I get there safely.
- Serena Williams, in a statement

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